The Censure of Showing Off

The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'Woe betide those who trade their religion for the life of this world in front of people they are soft-spoken and their words are sweeter than honey, but they are wolves in sheep's clothing [lit. their hearts are wolves' hearts (ed.), and Allah says regarding them, 'Are they trying to pull the wool over My eyes?'

The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'Verily the angel [charged with man's deeds] rises up with man's good deeds, delighted on account of them, but as he is lifting up his good deeds, Allah tells him, 'Go and place them in the Sijjin [Sijjin: proper name given in the Qur'an to a written record of the evildoers' deeds (ed.)], as he did not perform these deeds for Me.

The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'The show-off will be called on the Day of Resurrection: O shameless liar! O treacherous one! O show-off! Your deeds are lost, and the reward for your deeds is lost. Go and get your reward from those you intended to please by your actions.

The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'Allah, glory be to Him, says, 'I am the most self-sufficient of partners, for whoever performs a deed for Me as well as for someone else alongside Me, [know that] I am free from need of his action and I leave it for the one that he associated with Me.

The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'Verily Allah does not accept a deed that is performed with even an atom's weight of showing off in it.

The Prophet (SAWA) was once asked, 'Where does salvation lie?' to which he replied, 'In that the servant must not perform acts of obedience to Allah whilst intending them for other people [to see].

Imam Ali (AS) said, 'How ugly the man who is sick inwardly and beautiful outwardly.

Imam Ali (AS) said, 'O Allah I seek refuge in You from looking good in the gleaming mirror of people's eyes whilst my inward self that I conceal [from others] be ugly in front of You, and from guarding myself [against sins] only for show in front of people whilst You know all there is to know about me, such that I may display my good side to people, leaving the bad deeds for You, in seeking nearness to mere servants of Yours and getting further and further away from Your good pleasure.

Imam al-Baqir (AS) said, 'He whose outward appearance is superior to his inward self will have a very light scale of good deeds.

Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, 'Beware of showing off, for whoever performs good deeds for anyone other than Allah, Allah relegates him to the one he acted for.